CAES News
Iowa Energy Alliance Urges Congressional Action to End U.S. Energy Crisis
IA Natural Gas Bills Continue to Escalate, Severely Affecting Agriculture and Manufacturing IndustriesFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 9, 2006
CONTACT: Sandra Jaques
515-321-8358
DES MOINES, IA -- A broad alliance of agriculture, industrial and health care energy users today called on Congress to act on pending proposals to provide greater access to the abundant U.S. supply of energy on the Outer Continental Shelf (OSC) as a way to address the current U.S. energy crisis.
Representatives of the Iowa Consumer Alliance for Energy Security, a local affiliate of a newly formed national advocacy group, said high U.S. energy prices are having a negative impact on Iowa agriculture, consumers and small businesses.
“As farmers look to market their products around the world, it is critically important that the price of those products be competitive,” said Dave Coppess, Chair of the Agriculture Retailers Association.
“The cost of natural gas has a large impact on the cost of our agricultural products. If we are going to remain competitive on the international market, something is going to have to be done about the price of energy in this country. Increasing domestic exploration now is a key part of addressing this problem.”
“Since natural gas is a key ingredient in anhydrous ammonia, the cost of keeping Iowa’s first-in-the-nation corn status is adding up astronomically, “said Craig Lang, president of Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. “Farmers have seen anhydrous ammonia costs rise more than 80-percent in the past five years. It’s time to pursue the domestic production of natural gas,” said Lang.
“I urge Senator Frist to honor his commitment to bring up bring up S. 2253 by the end of May. This legislation is a step in the right direction, and immediate action by Congress would send a critical message to the markets,” said Coppess.
S. 2253 would require the Secretary of the Interior to offer a portion of the 181 Lease Area in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and natural gas exploration and production. S. 2253 was passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in a bipartisan vote of 16-5 and is awaiting action on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Lease Area 181 lies in the central and eastern parts of the Gulf of Mexico on the Outer Continental Shelf. The area proposed to be leased in S. 2253 is conservatively estimated to hold five trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
A national opinion survey by the Consumer Alliance for Energy Security confirmed that the American public understands the severity of the U.S. energy crisis. The survey found that nearly 90% of the respondents believe that rising energy costs are having a significant impact on their family’s monthly budget. In addition, nearly 60% of those polled support accessing the abundant supply of domestic energy available on the Outer Continental Shelf.
The Iowa Consumer Alliance for Energy Security is the Iowa arm of a broad-based coalition of consumers and industrial and institutional energy users committed to alleviating the current U.S. energy crisis by pushing for greater access to the abundant supply of domestic energy on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). For additional information, visit www.secureourenergy.com.
Members of the Iowa Consumer Alliance for Energy Security:
Mike Bennet; CEO, Terra Industries
Tad Cooper; Senior Vice President, Advanced Service Corporation
Dave Coppess; Chair, Agriculture Retailers Association
David Engle; President, The ESCO Group
Thurman Gaskill; State Senator
Curt Hames; President, Hames Homes
Jason Hellickson; Director & Senior VP, Holmes Murphy Insurance
Stewart Iverson; State Senator
Delayne Johnson; Board Member, Quad County Ethanol Plant
Joe Kelly; Executive Vice President, Iowa Manufactured Housing Association
James Kurtenbach; State Representative
Craig Lang; President, Iowa Farm Bureau
John Latham; Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids
Steve Lukan; State Representative
Jim Magnuson; General Manager, SCE
Dwayne McAninch; Chairman/CEO, McAninch Corporation
Larry McKibben; State Senator
Jim Meyer; Former State Representative
Jim Nepola, M.D., Iowa City
Bill Northey; Past President, Corn Growers Association
Garry Pellett; President, Pellett Petroleum Co.
Brian Quirk; State Representative
Bruce Rastetter; President, Hawkeye Renewable Corp.
Mark Rosenbury; Senior VP, Terra Industries
Kyle Skogman; President, Skogman Realty
Walt Smith; President, Thombert, Inc. & ITWC, Inc.
Mike Steele; President, Steele Financial Services
Mike Stineman; President, Citation Homes
Jeff Stroburg; CEO, West Central Cooperative
Bob Van Diest; President, Van Diest Supply Company
Ralph Watts; State Representative
Bob Wersen; President, Panel Components Corp.
Mike Weston; Managing Partner, Moyer & Bergman Law Firm
Jim Zahnd; VP of Government Relations, Iowa Health Systems